Beyond the menu: assessing the environmental and social impact of institutional meals

Purpose This study aims to assess institutional meals’ environmental and social sustainability by analyzing 50 dishes served at a public university cafeteria in Chile. It seeks to identify inefficiencies and propose practical improvements by considering factors such as carbon footprint, water usage, local ingredient sourcing, food waste and animal-based content. Design/methodology/approach The study applied a slack-based measure data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) under variable returns to scale (VRS) to evaluate the sustainability efficiency of meals. It considers undesirable inputs (carbon footprint [CF] and water footprints [WF], animal-origin content, food waste) and a desirable output (local ingredients). Dishes were analyzed using a double-frontier composite index for tie-breaking. Sensitivity analysis of transportation emissions was also conducted to assess potential improvements through local sourcing. Findings Only 6% of dishes were fully efficient; most required improvements, especially in WF, animal-origin content and local sourcing. Vegan soups ranked highest in sustainability, while some meat-containing dishes performed well when balanced with plant-based ingredients. On average, inefficient dishes required a 45.7% increase in local ingredients and reductions of over 50% in CF and WF. The study highlights practical strategies such as ingredient substitution and local sourcing to enhance institutional meal sustainability. Originality/value Using a double-frontier model, this study uniquely applies DEA with environmental and social indicators to institutional meals. It offers actionable insights throughout the life cycle, local sourcing and waste data, contributing novel evidence from Latin America to global sustainable food system discussions.